George Karl
George Karl is the head coach of the Denver Nuggets, a position he assumed in January 2005. Previously, he served as the head coach of the Milwaukee Bucks for five years (1998-’03). Before that, he was the head coach of the Seattle SuperSonics for six and one-half seasons (1991-’98). With the Sonics, Karl had the distinction of having achieved the highest winning percentage of any coach in Sonics' history. Under Karl's tutelage, the Sonics became one of the NBA's upper echelon teams. A 1973 graduate of North Carolina where he played three years for Dean Smith's Tar Heels and gained All-American honors as a senior, Karl began his distinguished coaching career in 1978 as an assistant in the ABA for the San Antonio Spurs. After two seasons with the Spurs, Karl then moved to the Continental Basketball Association as the head coach of the Montana Golden Nuggets. After three years with the Golden Nuggets, he began his NBA head coaching career with the Cleveland Cavaliers in 1984. Two years later, Karl accepted the same position with the Golden State Warriors—a job he held for two seasons. Subsequently, Karl spent two additional seasons each with the CBA's Albany Patroons and with Real Madrid of the Spanish League. Karl is widely regarded as one of the most respected and knowledgeable coaches in the game.
